The Gift of Holiday Honesty
by LucyLuna
Summary: When Gwen goes to the Davis-Morales family's Christmas party, she runs into Aaron. At that moment, she makes a decision. Tonight, she will tell him the truth. Part twenty of My Memories Came Back in the Form of Someone Else. Two-Shot.
1. Chapter 1

_The Gift of Holiday Honesty_

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Gwen gave her boots a little stamp on the Davis-Morales stoop to knock off the worst of the slush from the sidewalks and streets before she rang the doorbell. Not a minute later, the door swung open, bringing with it a rush of warm air over her cold figure and the smiling face of Miles's mom. Pushing her lips into a broad grin, Gwen said, "Merry Christmas Mrs. Morales!"

The woman leaned outside to wrap her in a cozy, spiced hug. "Gwen, merry Christmas!" she replied. Letting her go, she stepped aside and gestured for Gwen to step into the home. "Come in!" she said.

Once inside, Gwen juggled her bag to one hand as she stripped herself of her coat and then unwound the scarf she wore from around her neck. Patiently, Rio took each piece from her and put them together on a hanger which she then hung in the hall's closet. "Thanks," said Gwen. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a festive Tupperware and a family Christmas card. "These are for you," she said to Miles's mom.

The woman beamed as she took them. Prying off the lid of the Tupperware, she looked in it at the homemade thumbprint cookies and gushed, "Oh, thank you. These cookies look lovely." Turning her attention to the card, she chuckled. "And the card! It's very cute."

Gwen smiled. Her parents had been fielding lots of calls and e-mails from friends and family wanting to know where they'd gotten their sweaters. They were all very taken by how when they squished together for a photo they spelled "joy". Before she could ask, Gwen told Rio, "Yeah, my grandma sent us those sweaters for Christmas last year and Dad thought this would be the best way to show her we liked the gift."

Rio nodded as she turned to a large photo holder shaped as a sparkly green Christmas tree placed on the room's sideboard. As she put the card on one of the branches, she asked, "Did she knit them herself?"

"Yep!" Gwen said.

She smiled. "Very nice."

Footfall sounded from the next room and both turned their heads just in time to see Miles run into the hallway. Initially, his eyes slid right past Gwen and landed on his mom. "Mom, can I have—" he stopped mid-request and his gaze snapped back to Gwen. He grinned, delighted. Running up to her, he cried, "Gwen!"

"Hey, kiddo," she greeted reaching out to rub the top of his head.

Miles bounced under her hand, ecstatic. "You're here!" he cheered with a large smile that showed off a new missing tooth. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and began to tug on her. "You gotta come and play with me and the other kids! We're about to do the scavenger hunt Dad and his friends made for us," he said.

Gwen glanced over at Rio, who seemed more than content to let her be pulled away. She supposed she should have expected that. While of course they liked her and probably wanted to talk to her a bit, she was definitely invited for Miles. And really, she was okay with that. She thought Miles was a pretty cool kid and his alternate 'verse version was a good friend of hers too. "I guess I can play with you guys," she said with a put upon sigh to tease him. A thought coming to her, she added, "Maybe I should just help you out if you get really stuck on the hunt, though, okay?" She didn't want to spoil the kids' fun by solving their game for them.

"Yeah okay!" he agreed pulling more insistently at her to make her hurry.

Gwen picked up her pace and glanced backward. Miles's mom smiled. "Have fun, Gwen," she said.

She smiled at the woman. "Thanks, Mrs. Morales."

-o-O-o-

Stepping back from the kids as they huddled around their amassed collection of puzzle pieces on the living room's coffee table, Gwen turned toward the doorway that led to the kitchen. Helping the kids find all of the puzzle pieces had been a lot more involved than she'd expected and she could use a minute alone. She'd also like to step outside to cool down. With all of the guests inside, the Davis-Morales home was actually super warm, especially when one was dressed in a thick sweater, jeans, and winter boots like her. "I'm going to the bathroom, okay?" she called out to the children.

"Uh-huh!" Miles replied, distracted as she walked out of the room and for the door that led to the Davis-Morales's very small yard.

Upon stepping outside, she was startled into gasping, "Oh!"

Aaron, sitting on the first of the two steps that took one to the yard, looked over his shoulder and said, unperturbed "Hey kid." Aaron then shifted around to fix his gaze on her, one brow raised.

Gwen bit her lip. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be outside."

He lowered his eyes and snuffed out his cigarette on the step beneath him. "I was just having a quick smoke," he explained needlessly. "You?"

"Oh, I just needed a breather, "Gwen answered. " The kids are great, but wow it's different playing with like, five, over one."

He laughed. "I bet," he said smiling. "You seem to be handling it pretty well from what I've seen as you and the kids were darting around the house."

"Thanks," said Gwen, "at least now that we have all of the pieces to the puzzle I just got to supervise them putting it together and then they'll have the answer to their riddle and can get the prize Mr. Davis promised them."

Aaron's smile broadened into a grin. Conspiratorially, he asked, "Do you wanna know what the prize is?"

Gwen pretended to think about it before nodding. "I can't imagine it's more candy!" she joked.

"No," Aaron said with his own small laugh. "I think if Jeff gave the kids more of that to take home their parents would kill him," he mused. Standing up and dusting off his pants, he told Gwen, "He got a couple of packs of those Christmas-themed Spider-Woman stickers that I guess are huge with kids this year."

She knew those stickers. They were actually pretty cute and sold just about everywhere from grocery stores to art shops."Oh yeah, I've seen those," she said. Putting a hand on her chest, she told Aaron, "Kids at _ my _school have been using them to cover their notebooks and folders with." At his slightly wonderous look, she explained, "It's a fad."

He began to bob his head in understanding and remarked, "I guess kids could be obsessing over something more annoying."

"Yeah," she replied, recalling Miles talking about something called finger spinners in his world and how, for a very short time, they were something everyone had and played with at all of the worst times. "I'm just kinda disappointed there aren't any Prowler ones this year," she admitted putting on a pouty look.

"Oh?" Aaron replied in a noncommittal tone she knew was entirely fake from the small spark she saw in his gaze.

She nodded and sighed. "I guess I'll just have to hope next year treats him better." Aaron began to snicker and Gwen frowned. "Why are you laughing?" she demanded.

"Miles was complaining about the same thing I heard from Rio," he told her. "I guess she ended up paying a coworker's husband who's a high school art teacher to make her a couple of vinyl stickers for Miles to put in his stocking."

Interest piqued Gwen gushed, "Oh, wow, really? That's cool." Possibilities flashing before her eyes, she asked, "D'you think Mrs. Morales could hook me up with the guy to make me some?"

Aaron fell quite a moment. "…You really do like the guy, huh?" he questioned when she continued to look at him with expectant, curious eyes.

It kind of annoyed and hurt her he still sounded so surprised she could have a positive opinion of his alter-ego. _ Especially _ after all he'd done for her and Miles. He was even making the right steps to be a hero to _ everyone_. Of course she liked the Prowler. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes or huff or do anything that he could read negatively into, Gwen just dipped her chin to agree with Aaron. "Yeah," she said, "sure, I know he's got a history and a lot of wrongs to right, but I think he's got a lot of potential for good." She met Aaron's gaze and told him, forceful, "I _ know _he's good."

"Do you now?" he replied, crossing his arms.

Gwen didn't fall for the dig and instead veered their conversation elsewhere. Maybe it was just time she do it. Once he knew she and Spider-Woman were one and the same, maybe he'd stop being so doubtful of himself and believe her when she said he wasn't so bad and could truly turn into a true hero. She wondered if he'd believe her if she told him his nephew from another 'verse was one. That Miles here could be if Aaron wasn't careful with him. "Hey, after the party, can we go to this diner I know?" she asked. "I've got something I want to talk to you about."

He blinked."…Your dad know you ain't coming straight home from the party?" he questioned, face shifting into a dubious expression.

She did roll her eyes at him this time. "I talked to Dad before I left," she said. "I told him I'd be meeting up with a friend after the party, yeah."

Aaron relented. "Sure," he agreed brushing a hand over the top of his head. He then pointed a finger in her face and said, "but only for a little while. I got business I need to get to tonight."

She grinned, pleased with his answer and amused as well. Gwen knew exactly what business Aaron had. It was Prowler business with_ her_, Spider-Woman. She couldn't wait to see his face when he realized. "I know," she said, earning a bemused frown from Aaron. Before he could ask her anything, however, she turned on her heels and swung open the door to the Davis-Morales home. "See you later!" she called before running back inside to join the kids who she could hear were beginning to squabble about some pieces of their puzzle.

She was jittery and more than a little afraid, but she also had a lot of hope. Faith in Aaron too. The conversation would have its bumps, but Gwen was sure it would be a success by the end.

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**Well, I hope you're all excited for the next chapter :)**

** Thank you all a million for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

_The Gift of Holiday Honesty_

* * *

There were plenty of places they could have sat down to talk closer to the Davis-Morales home, but Gwen chose the diner her, Peter, and Aaron had eaten together at as their alter-egos. It had been part whim, but she also hoped he might be quicker to believe her when she told him in a setting only familiar to him and Spider-Woman. Walking into the diner, she smiled at the grumpy middle-aged waitress who got up from her seat at the bar to get them menus from the hostess podium.

Expectedly, or maybe unexpectedly, it was actually pretty quiet for Christmas Eve Eve. Gwen was actually pretty relieved when a glance around the place showed there was only a scattering of people throughout the small diner. There was a lone man, possibly homeless, sitting in one corner drinking a cup of coffee and at the bar, two young women were talking animatedly over shopping bags and sharing a plate of fries. Once the waitress seated them at a booth a little distance away from the man, Aaron turned to her and said, "Nice place." Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Been here before?"

She nodded. "Yeah, a few times," she said. Smiling, she added, "A friend introduced me to it."

He nodded his head. "Tight."

Gwen didn't reply. Instead, she thanked the waitress for bringing them water and began to fiddle with her menu. Her gut was starting to churn. Why had she picked here? Was she really going to tell Aaron something so monumental in a _ diner_? God, she was so stupid. She should have asked him to the park near the Davis-Morales home. It'd have been a lot quieter and running away if it went badly would have been easier—

Aaron cleared his throat. "Sooo… What we doin' here Gwen? What did you wanna talk to me about?" he asked.

She frowned, now agitated. Trying not to snap, she ground out from behind her teeth, "Give me a minute, I'm just trying to figure out how I want to start this."

Aaron eyed her for a brief moment, something like unease crossing his gaze. Voice surprisingly soft, he asked her, "You're not going to tell me you _ like _me, are you?"

"_Like _ you?" Gwen repeated, confused. "What do you—" She stopped, realization dawning on her. Wrinkling her nose and shaking her head, she exclaimed, "Oh! Ick! And oh my God, Aaron, I'm not _ eleven_. If I were gonna tell you I had a crush on you, I would _ not _ be using the word _ like_."

He put up his hands and said, "Aight, aight, I just thought it was a possibility." Lowering his hands, he put his arms on the table and leaned in to tell her, "You are giving me a real weird look right now, kid."

Gwen crossed her arms and looked away from him. "Well, I'm not," she huffed.

"Aight!" he snapped, apparently annoyed himself (though, Gwen suspected he might be more embarrassed than irritated).

She sighed. Well, that had helped her decide how to tell Aaron. She was just going to say it. It couldn't go much worse than the little exchange they just had, right? "I guess I might as well just say it before you come up with an even _ worse _idea," she said, "though, how you'll manage that I don't know…" She breathed in and out and met Aaron's gaze. "I'm Spider-Woman, Prowler," she told him.

For a moment, Aaron was just frozen with a blank expression on his face. Then, it cycled through several emotions one right after another. Shock, disbelief, confusion, anger, fear, confusion again… "Hold up," he said in a shaky voice. He put up a hand and dropped his face toward the table for a few seconds. "Motherfucker!" he swore loudly, causing her to jump and drawing the attention of the diner's other occupants. Looking at her again, he said, "Of course you're her. And you know I'm the—"

Gwen spoke over Aaron, drowning out the rest of what he said to her. "Yeah," she agreed. "Can you not talk quite so loud, please?" she hissed, spider-senses an ever so faint tingle on the back of her neck. People were watching, waiting to see if their conversation escalated in a dangerous, call 911 way.

Aaron bared his teeth and said, still much too loud, "Fuckin' Christ, Gwen. Where the Hell do you get off being pissed at me—!"

"Okay!" she all but yelled. Aaron quieted and she exhaled in relief. Softly, she said, "I'll shut up and let you talk."

For a long beat, he just stared at her, distrustful. When he saw she meant what he said, he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "I want some answers," he told her.

Gwen winced. Well, she should have expected that. She slumped against the back of her booth in defeat. "Shoot, dude," she said.

Aaron pursed his lips. "How long have you known I'm… I'm _ him_?" he asked, glancing around the diner as he finished. Gwen saw him narrow his eyes and bit her lip, hoping whoever was receiving his glare wasn't too scared. Aaron was dangerous, sure, but he wasn't going to hurt anybody here for just _ looking _at them.

Gwen sighed for what felt like the millionth time in five minutes. Turning her gaze to the table, she began to play with a bent corner of the laminated menu in front of her. "'Member how I talked about going to another universe?" she questioned in a murmur, hoping no one would overhear.

Gwen glanced up just in time to see Aaron frown in confusion "N— Yeah," he said. Clarity settling over his features, he replied, "You did when you were her."

She nodded. "Right," agreed. Gwen licked her lips and thought for a moment about what to say, how much to, and what to leave out just because it didn't matter now. Slowly, she explained, "So while I was there, saving _ its _New York, I ran into its Prowler too." Lowering her gaze as her memory of what happened at that May's house came back to her, Gwen admitted, "Your identity ended up kinda coming out after some shit went south."

Aaron didn't seem impressed with her explanation at all when she looked up. Eyebrow raised, he asked, almost sneering, "And you just knew the Prowler here would be the same guy as there?"

"Well, no," she answered, frowning. Looking away, she said, "But I mean…" She trailed off. Taking a calming breath, she brought her gaze back to Aaron and said, "Okay, look, remember my friend Peter?"

"He's the one who passed away, ain't he?" Aaron said.

"Unfortunately," she agreed, heart twinging just a little at the admittance. Most of the time, she could almost just pretend Peter was off at some science decathlon thing upstate and _ not _ gone forever. But then someone would reference him being dead and she couldn't anymore. At least it was starting to hurt less when it happened. Gwen shook her head. "Anyway, my point is there? In that 'verse? The first Spider-Man was a Peter Parker." She held up two fingers for Aaron and said with great emphasis, "I met two _ other _ Peter Parkers, different as they were from that 'verse's Peter and mine, but they were Petes. There also was a _ Peni _ Parker—"

"—Peni? Like that friend of yours you were shopping—"

"—Yes. _ Then _ there was also a freaking anthropomorphic _ pig _ named Peter Porker," she said even more animated than she had been before in her explanation. Not entirely able to hide a smile she told Aaron, "Don't even get me started on Doc Ock. She may have been a lady there, but she was _ exactly _like our Doc Ock!" She paused briefly, eyeing Aaron who appeared unsure of what to think or say. Quieter, she asked, "…Do you get what I'm saying here?"

"How the Hell are there so many New Yorks with spider people?" he asked.

Gwen blinked, a little caught off guard by the question. She'd figured he'd have more to ask about all of the Peters. "I don't know and that's _ not _ the point," she told him. "What _ is _ the point is there are some people that are more or less the same everywhere. Spider-people? Usually a Parker, or, in the case of the pig, Porker. There's also an Ock in them. Kingpin too. In the 'verse, there are Prowlers too and since Miles's was a _ you_—" she stopped mid-sentence, realizing she'd spoken too candidly. She hadn't wanted to bring up Miles _ now_!

Aaron, of course, did not miss her slip up. He threw up both hands, palms open and facing her. "Wait, wait, wait," he said, "Miles? Miles like my nephew Miles?" Eyes wide with surprise, he asked, "_ He' _s a spider?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "Yes," she answered. "Not the first one in that 'verse, Peter was, but yes."

"Is that why you babysit him?" he accused with a hard glare. "'Cause he's going to grow up into a spider-like you?"

"No, it's not," Gwen snapped, annoyed. She watched Miles because she liked him. He was a great kid. If he so happened to become a spider because of his stupid uncle, well, so be it. It would just make everything easier for Miles, wouldn't it? Angry now, she didn't spare Aaron as she told him, "As long as you don't decide to be the 'cool' uncle and take him into unused parts of the subway system he shouldn't become a spider." Gwen placed her hand over her chest. "I'm his babysitter because his parents _ asked_. I like doing it because Miles from that other 'verse? He's my friend and this one, he could be a friend when he's older too. And if he were to become a spider-like me…" She trailed off only to smile none too kindly at Aaron. "Well, he'll have an easier time of it than my friend Miles."

Aaron was silent for an almost uncomfortable length of time. Gwen was losing the battle with her urge to fidget when Aaron said, almost musingly, "Your friend Miles… I met him, didn't I?"

Gwen held back a sigh. Of course he remembered Miles from that time at the corner shop. "Yeah," she admitted. Chuckling a little as she recalled the incident, she said, "He panicked and introduced himself as Niles that one time, but yes."

"Shit," Aaron swore. He brought a hand up to run over the top of his head and he turned distant as he muttered, "That's why he looked so familiar."

"Sorry," Gwen replied, feeling a little as if she'd robbed something from Aaron. It would have been nice for the two to meet with them both knowing exactly who the other was. They'd have probably had a lot to share with each other and she knew it would have meant the world to Miles to get to talk to his uncle again. Even if his uncle was one from another 'verse and about a decade younger than he last knew him. Maybe she'd have to invite Miles by to meet Aaron again now that everything was revealed…

"Why are you telling me all of this now?" asked Aaron, drawing Gwen away from her planning.

"Honestly?" she said, which earned her a nod from the man. At his insistence, she said, "Because I guess I realized we were getting to the point if I waited much longer you were going to take it wrongly."

Aaron frowned, clearly unsatisfied with her answer. Tilting his head and crossing his arms, he questioned, "Was I a good guy there? In that other universe? Is that why…?"

Gwen hesitated. Should she really tell him the whole awful story? It would have to come out eventually, she reasoned. "No," she said, shoulders slumping, "you were a villain."

"Then what the Hell have you been doing with me, Gwen?" he demanded, clearly upset with her answer. Leaning forward, he slapped his hands down on the table and demanded, "Do you realize how _ wrong _things could have gone?"

Gwen ignored the light tingling on her neck and leaned in, going practically nose to nose with the man. "You wanna know something, Aaron?" she said. "In Miles's 'verse you died 'cause you wouldn't kill Spider-Man once you knew it was Miles. A guy who won't kill his nephew on an order, especially when it's from Kingpin, isn't all bad."

Aaron's eyes blew wide in disbelief. "We're talking about _ Miles_, Gwen," he said like it mattered. "There are plenty of homies who love their girl or their babies but wouldn't so much as blink if they were told to kill the guy who sells them their smokes every day," he continued, a noticeable flush coming to his cheeks. "I can't _ believe _you! What if—"

Gwen spoke over Aaron and told him, "As you were dying, you said to Miles you had wanted to be better for him, be a man he could look up to. Aaron, you _ were_. Miles was broken by your death."

The man grew quiet and leaned back. The hard edge gone from his words, he asked, "Is he doin' okay? That Miles?"

Gwen nodded. "Miles is holding up," she assured him. "He's still got his mom and dad, his friends, us, we're all there for him."

Eyes now in his lap, Aaron just bobbed his head. "Good. Good."

"He's why, if you want to know," Gwen said, gentler.

A furrow came between Aarons' brows and he looked up at her. "Why what?" he mumbled.

"Why I took a leap of faith and decided to convert you," she replied.

Aaron seemed at a loss of what to say. Finally, he just asked, "Why, Gwen?"

"Miles is a _ great _ friend," she told him. He was a little dorky, but he was nice and could be really funny and always remembered to ask Gwen about her day before he talked about his own when they talked over the Goobers. "After Peter… I didn't think I'd ever have a friend like that again," she said, "but I do." Gwen gave the table a pointed tap with her pointer finger. "Miles here? He's also really cool," she explained to Aaron. "Someday he'll be just as amazing as my friend Miles. I couldn't stand the thought of him knowing the same kind of hurt and pain my friend is experiencing, so, to make sure he wouldn't, I _ had _ to convert you."

Aaron ran his hand over his head a couple of times, entirely speechless. Finally, he murmured, "Jesus, kid."

Gwen itched to grab one of Aarons' hands and force him to feel her sincerity, but knew that was the last thing she should do. Instead, she did her best to imbue her words with what she felt. "You _ are _good, Aaron," she insisted. "Maybe you made a lot of mistakes, but you're fixing them now. Someday, the good you've done will outdo the bad and you'll be remembered more for your heroics than your villainy."

"Shit," he swore, looking away. The longer Gwen gazed at his profile, the more certain she became there was a sheen of tears covering his eyes.

"…Aaron?" she called, uneasy.

He blinked a couple of times before turning his face back toward her, eyes no longer wet. Scowling, he said, "I'm still deciding how pissed I am." Gwen just stared at him and waited. After a moment, he smirked and said, "Aight, I'm fuckin' pissed, but I'll get over it at some point."

She giggled as the worst of the tension in her shoulders faded. "Well, that's a relief," said Gwen, grinning.

Smirk broadening into a smile, he leaned forward and told her, "I wouldn't say that if I were you."

Confused, Gwen asked, "Why not?"

Aaron waved for the waitress, who'd been watching them out of the corner of her eye for some time. As she got to her feet and started to shuffle over to their table, Aaron told her, "We're gonna order somethin' to eat and _ then _we're gonna discuss how reckless you've been. He pointed a finger in her face and scolded, "You need to shape up, 'cause I ain't gonna be the one to tell your pops or Miles why you're dead."

Gwen crossed her arms and said, partly incredulous and partly annoyed, "You can't be serious."

"Oh, I am. Dead. Serious," Aaron told her.

Gwen groaned. "Ugh," she muttered slumping down and resting her chin on the tabletop. "Some Christmas Eve Eve."

Aaron began to laugh.

* * *

**How did you enjoy the chapter? Did you like the way the conversation went? Is there anything you wished here had been more of or addressed in general?**

**I don't know if you guys can feel it, but this series is starting to wind down now that this truth has come to light. I think there may be one/two more stories after this, but then it will be finished :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


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